Mumbai, June 23: Uddhav Thackeray, the leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), convened an emergency meeting with all party legislators on Monday to maintain unity amid rumors of party exits. This crucial meeting coincided with the start of the state assembly’s monsoon session and served as a platform for strategizing and demonstrating strength.
The meeting followed significant political turmoil surrounding ‘Operation Tiger.’ It is believed that this was a tactic by the opposing Eknath Shinde faction aimed at pressuring several Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs to leave the party.
While the meeting was taking place, six rebel MPs from UBT officially joined Eknath Shinde’s faction at another event. Out of the party’s total of 26 legislators (20 MLAs and 6 MLCs), 22 attended the meeting.
To convey a strong message of solidarity during the current crisis, the legislators concluded the hour-long meeting with a group photo alongside Thackeray.
Four legislators—Sanjay Derkar, Rahul Patil, Sanjay Potnis (MLAs), and Sunil Shinde (MLC)—were absent from the meeting. Party insiders downplayed their absence, stating that these legislators had secured prior permission from leadership due to personal commitments, local religious events, and tasks related to the recent legislative council election results.
During the meeting, Thackeray instructed his legislators to present their case aggressively and in a well-organized manner within the assembly. With the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance eyeing the position of opposition leader, Thackeray urged legislators to systematically challenge the government on key public issues.
After the meeting, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC Ambadas Danve stated, “We have been directed to work aggressively. We will strongly raise issues concerning farmers, severe water scarcity in regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada, and concerns related to Mumbai.”
Additionally, Thackeray instructed his MLAs and MLCs to actively engage in the constituencies of the rebel MPs who are rumored to be switching sides.
Political tensions escalated last week after only three of the party’s nine Lok Sabha MPs attended a parliamentary meeting in New Delhi. While the Shinde faction claimed that a deadline was being set for the remaining UBT MPs to join them, UBT leadership firmly countered this.
Criticizing the ruling Maha Yuti alliance, former minister and party MLA Aaditya Thackeray accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of focusing solely on political maneuvering rather than governance. He alleged that while they lacked funds for employee salaries and welfare schemes, they had money to buy MPs. He also accused the ruling party of attempting to break the opposition and ultimately change the Constitution.
Meanwhile, senior leader Sanjay Raut dismissed the claims of defections as entirely fabricated, asserting that all three Lok Sabha MPs stand firmly with Uddhav Thackeray.
Earlier, Thackeray announced a three-day tour from June 27 to June 29, during which he will visit the constituencies of MPs who have joined the Shinde faction.
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